MANAGER Ronnie Moore hopes Gareth Taylor's return to the front line will act as the "trigger" for a Tranmere Rovers revival.

Moore says the influential target man will be back in Tranmere's starting line-up for the visit of Bournemouth to Prenton Park on Saturday after spending a month on the sidelines with a broken jaw.

Moore said: "Gareth is a tremendous player and has been a big miss for us. We are a better side when Gareth plays and the other players respect him.

"They know they have someone up there who is going to knock people about and take a share of the knocks himself. He takes so much weight off Chris Greenacre to enable him to get into those goalscoring positions.

"One or two people might not appreciate what Gareth does, but if you ask the centre backs he plays against they will tell you they know they are in for a difficult game against him."

Moore added: "Gareth will definitely play on Saturday and I'm hoping it will trigger us onto a decent run."

Tranmere have not won in the league since Taylor suffered a double hairline fracture of the lower jaw in a goalless draw against Nottingham Forest on September 23.

A Tranmere victory that afternoon would have taken them to the top of League One.

Since then they have slipped to eighth place following a sequence of three draws and three defeats.

The well-travelled 33-year-old returned to action as a 66th minute substitute in Tranmere's 1-0 defeat at Carlisle last Saturday.

Moore said: "Gareth did not feel ready to start the game at Carlisle but he did not want to just sit on the bench. He was keen to come on. In the 25 minutes he played he headed the ball very little. He chested it and flicked on.

"But he will do plenty of heading work this week."

Taylor is returning at a time when injuries continue to bite into Tranmere selection options.

Moore says he is concerned about the knock that forced midfielder John Mullin to limp off early in the second half. Winger Kevin Ellison has a suspected Achilles tendon injury while striker Calvin Zola may take another fortnight to overcome a persistent foot problem.

Meanwhile, Tranmere have cut admission prices for the Johnstone Paints Trophy second round tie against Darlington at Prenton Park next Tuesday.

Adults will be admitted for #7, senior citizens and Young Persons (17-22) #3 and juniors (16 and under) #2.

Only the Main Stand and paddock will be open for home supporters, with away fans housed in the Borough Road side. The Kop and Cowshed stands will not be open.